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After the 2021 NFL Draft, the next event ahead of the upcoming season will be each team's rookie camp. Here is when it takes place, where it will be, and what to expect.
NFL rookie camp 2021 dates
Not every team holds their NFL rookie camps at the same time. However, this season, most of the teams have their camps on the same days. The dates were provided by Pro Football Network and are as follows:
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May 7-10: Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets
May 14-17: Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Washington Football Team
Who will be at the NFL rookie camps?
As the name suggests, NFL rookies will be at the camps. That said, there will also be a few unsigned players who will come to audition for a role with the team. These players will be treating the camp like a tryout.
The teams figure that since they are already meeting with players, it would not hurt to kill two birds with one stone and get a look at some other players at the same time. However, in 2021, it seems that this will be downplayed, per Tom Pellissero.
Although technically NFL rookie camps are optional, nearly every rookie attends the camp, including injured players who'll spend time in the classroom.
NFL rookie camp expectations for rookies
The minicamp will largely work as an onboarding process. The teams will get a first taste of who they picked and they will also get extra time to work with the rookies. This is because once the regular training camp starts, the attention will need to be split between about 100 players.
Even though the players were just drafted, they can be cut at a moment's notice. This happens to late picks and undrafted additions rather often.
Some classwork, some practice
First, rookies usually get some time in the classroom to learn the most basic concepts and lessons. After that, they will go out to a field to get some practice work. The reason for this order is that, basically, teams do not want to wear out a player before they need them to focus and learn.
What's next?
Once NFL rookie camps and OTAs end, the next big event will be the kickoff of NFL training camps in July before the NFL preseason kicks off in August.
